Read Online That Night on Thistle Lane by Carla Neggers - Free Book Online

clothes, forget any wild fantasies she’d had. She glanced around for her pirate husband, but he had disappeared. She expected to feel relief but she had to acknowledge a pang of disappointment, too.
    And of loneliness, she thought. For so long, she and Brandon had been at each other’s sides. Lovers, best friends, parents to their two little boys.
    How had they let that get away from them?
    Maggie pasted a smile on her face. She wasn’t going to think about what had gone wrong between her and Brandon right now. She turned down Olivia and Dylan’s offer to walk with her back to Olivia’s apartment and instead headed out alone.
    The night was warm and still, Copley Square filled with people. Maggie told herself she needed this time on her own. She’d loved living in Boston, but she didn’t miss city life as much as she thought she would when she’d packed up herself and the boys and returned to Knights Bridge. Her hometown had plenty to offer, and it was a great place for Tyler and Aidan. They’d made new friends, loved being close to family. It was the same for Maggie. Even her work was better in Knights Bridge. In Boston, she’d worked part-time for different caterers. Now she had her own catering business, and it was getting off the ground faster than she’d anticipated or even had hoped it would.
    She cut down to Commonwealth Avenue and continued on to attractive, residential Marlborough Street. She’d always wanted to live in Back Bay, but she and Brandon had rented a series of apartments in less expensive parts of the city. It wasn’t just a question of finances, she’d finally realized. It was what he wanted, where he was comfortable. Back Bay wouldn’t suit him.
    She used Olivia’s keys to get into the apartment. Olivia planned to give it up, but it definitely came in handy tonight. Maggie wouldn’t have wanted to drive home after her evening as Grace Kelly.
    She caught her reflection in the entry mirror. She’d managed to avoid mirrors all evening and was a little shocked at how she looked. Sexy, a little devil-may-care. Leave it to Ava and Ruby to get creative and theatrical. Phoebe’s discovery of the look-alike dress from To Catch a Thief was perfect, but the twins were responsible for the subtle Grace Kelly makeup, the push-up bra, the blond wig and the glittery mask.
    Maggie pulled off the wig, then unpinned her hair and let it fall to her shoulders.
    Already she looked and felt more like Maggie O’Dunn, mom to two young boys, second of four sisters, caterer to showers, weddings, meetings, reunions, fundraisers and even the occasional wake.
    If not always the most practical person, she was at least able to manage on her own.
    Did she look and feel like the wife of Brandon Sloan anymore?
    Had he left the hotel and found his way to a sports bar?
    Everyone liked Brandon. He was easy to like since he didn’t have to deal with the details of paying bills, raising their sons, figuring out their future. When faced with unemployment, he’d taken off for the mountains with a backpack and his dreams. He’d never meant to be a carpenter forever. He was good at it, he even liked it—but he thought he should be doing something else. Maggie didn’t even know what anymore. She doubted he did, either.
    She put him out of her mind and dialed her mother’s house. Tyler picked up. “Gran’s making hot chocolate.”
    “Hey, Tyler. Why are you still up?”
    “The bat woke us up.”
    “I see.” Bats weren’t unheard of at her mother’s farmhouse, especially in summer. “Where’s the bat now?”
    “Gran shooed it outside with a broom. I helped.”
    “Good for you. What about your brother?”
    “He hid under his blanket. He’s having hot chocolate, too.”
    “All right. Well, you two be good and help Gran. Tell her I called, okay?”
    “I will, Mom. When are you coming home?”
    “Tomorrow.”
    “Did you see Dad?”
    She couldn’t lie to her son. “I did, but just for a few